memeorandum: Mike Huckabee Says God is Pushing His Poll Numbers Up (Mark Karlin/BuzzFlash.org)

10:30 AM ET, December 2, 2007

Top Items:

Huckabee new GOP leader in Iowa Poll — Mike Huckabee has leaped ahead of Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney in Iowa, seizing first place in a new Des Moines Register poll of likely Republican caucus participants. — Huckabee wins the support of 29 percent of Iowans who say they definitely …

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The Carpetbagger Report, Los Angeles Times, Free Frank Warner, The Atlantic Online, Pollster.com, Blue Crab Boulevard and TPM Election Central

Thomas Beaumont / Des Moines Register:

Obama pulls ahead for Democrats in Iowa Poll — Barack Obama has pulled ahead in the race for Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses, while the party's national frontrunner Hillary Clinton has slipped to second in the leadoff nominating state, according to The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Open Left, MyDD, The American Street and Riehl World View

Robert D. Novak / Townhall.com:

Huckabee's Rise — WASHINGTON — Strategists for Mitt Romney's Republican presidential campaign were actually pleased that fast-rising Mike Huckabee moved ahead of Romney in the Rasmussen poll in Iowa, eliminating surprise if Huckabee finishes first there in the Jan. 3 caucuses.

Leslie Wayne / New York Times:
Huckabee's Stature Rises, Mobilizing Tax Critics

Discussion: The Mahablog, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, MSNBC and race42008.com

David S. Broder / Washington Post:
Principles Amid the GOP Pack

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Middle Earth Journal and Rising Hegemon

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
NOW'S WHEN IT GETS INTERESTING

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and Ezra Klein

Ryan Sager / New York Post:
CRACKPOT REVOLUTION — FOLKS in Washington seem to think that …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

David Leppard / Times of London:

US says it has right to kidnap British citizens — AMERICA has told Britain that it can "kidnap" British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States. — A senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens …

Discussion: Wolf Howling, Iain Dale's Diary, The Agitator, The Sideshow, Group News Blog, LewRockwell.com Blog, Suburban Guerrilla, Angry Bear and Vox Popoli

Cernig / The Newshoggers:

United States Of Kidnapping — The members of the Bush administration don't think of themselves as the rulers of an American hegemony? — Pull the other one, it has bells on it. … Not just Brits - anyone. … But the same administration has vigorously pursued immunity from prosecution …

Discussion: The Heretik

New Hampshire Union Leader:

John McCain is the man to lead America — On Jan. 8, New Hampshire Republicans will make one of the most important choices for their party and nation in the history of our presidential primary. Their choice ought to be John McCain. — We don't agree with him on every issue.

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, The Caucus, Political Radar, Redstate, GreenMountainPolitics1 and The Fix

Mark Silva / The Swamp:

NH boost: Union Leader endorses McCain — In a major coup for Sen. John McCain, the New Hampshire Union Leader of Manchester endorsed the Arizona Republican for president today, calling him the man to lead America. — The Republican presidential candidates are in a free-for-all for the GOP nomination …

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker

NY Daily News:

N.H., Iowa Republicans care more about terror than Rudy Giuliani's trysts — Many voters shrugged off the renewed spotlight on Rudy Giuliani's extramarital affair - but one of his campaign officials Saturday warned the issue could "haunt" his presidential bid.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and The Carpetbagger Report

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
Rudy, Iowa Christians, a tough sell

Discussion: Stop The ACLU and Donklephant

Fox News:

Hillary Clinton Draws Boos at Iowa Campaign Event, 1 Day After Hostage Situation — Whatever public sympathy Hillary Clinton had built up during the tense hostage situation at her New Hampshire campaign office appeared to dissipate Saturday, as she was met with a round of boos during an address …

Discussion: Classical Values

Lindsay Hamilton / Political Radar:
Clinton Booed at Heartland Forum

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and BitsBlog

Dan Popkey / Idaho Statesman:

More gay men describe sexual encounters with U.S. Sen. Craig — Allegations made since news of the Minneapolis case broke lend weight to rumors about Craig. … David Phillips. Mike Jones. Greg Ruth. Tom Russell. — Four gay men, willing to put their names in print and whose allegations …

Discussion: Eschaton and The American Street

Damien Cave / New York Times:

Nonstop Theft and Bribery Are Staggering Iraq — Jobless men pay $500 bribes to join the police. Families build houses illegally on government land, carwashes steal water from public pipes and nearly everything the government buys or sells can now be found on the black market.

Discussion: Firedoglake, TIME: Swampland, Crooked Timber, A NEWT ONE, Daily Kos, BartBlog, Prairie Weather, Don Surber and The American Street

Sudhir Hazareesingh / Times of London:

Israelis hit Syrian 'nuclear bomb plant' — Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Michael Sheridan in Seoul — ISRAEL'S top-secret air raid on Syria in September destroyed a bomb factory assembling warheads fuelled by North Korean plutonium, a leading Israeli nuclear expert has told The Sunday Times.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere and The American Street

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Huckabee, Morris keep lines open — Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has been holding private conversations with Dick Morris, according to aides, a longstanding relationship that is raising new questions as Huckabee's campaign begins to take off.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Phillip Rawls / Associated Press:

Black Alabama political groups split presidential endorsements — MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's major black political groups have split their endorsements for president, with the Alabama New South Coalition giving its support to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday.

Discussion: Leaning Straight Up, Jules Crittenden, Right Voices and Riehl World View

Bob Owens / Pajamas Media:

THE NEW REPUBLIC TRIES TO COME CLEAN ON BEAUCHAMP SCANDAL — After more than five months, New Republic editor Franklin Foer has finally responded to allegations of untruths in the Iraq War reporting of Scott Beauchamp in TNR. But as Bob Owens points out, it takes Foer thirteen pages …